Brainstorming:
I can't finish any of my game design projects. I end up losing interest when I realize that I don't feel emotionally invested enough in what I'm doing to continue on. My heart just isn't in it. Maybe I can resolve this by looking inward into my own personal life and finding inspiration there.

About myself:
My name is Kevin Vito. I'm a recent graduate from Northern Illinois University with a BFA in Illustration.
I was born an ARMY brat in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Being a child of a military family, I've spent much of my childhood moving across the United States from one base to another.
Now, after graduating from college, I find myself still living in the same small college town where I have lived for six years. 
Being unemployed at the moment thanks to the terrible economy, living in a decrepit small town with more college students than job openings, and unable to land any significant commissions or art jobs, I cannot afford to buy the supplies I need to make my art or the materials required to promote myself.
I'm driven by a constant urge to move out of here and migrate to a place where I might have more opportunities (or at least a less stagnant atmosphere).
At the moment, I am stuck where I am and unable to move anywhere.
However, I have landed a job teaching English to elementary school students in Korea. If I can get the paperwork needed for my visa in order, I can be out of this country by February. The school is paying for my plane ticket and everything. This was never my intended goal in life, but it does get me out of this pit I'm stuck in and into a new and exciting place where I can find fresh new sources of inspiration. Plus, the pay is going to be really good, so I'll be able to afford to set up an art studio and start going to conventions again to promote my work. This is a stepping stone toward my intended destination in life.

Not to be self-aggrandizing or anything, but in a way it reminds me of the Swords & Sorcery stories I love so much.
Conan the Barbarian who left his homeland of Cimmeria to see the world and eventually become King of Aquilonia.
Elric of Melnibone who left his kingdom only to return later and burn it to the ground.

There's an idea for a game in here somewhere.

As I typed this post out stream-of-thought style, I had some inspiration.
Perhaps I can make a fantasy-heartbreaker that focuses on the feeling of wanderlust.
Perhaps characters are defined not in terms of race or profession, but in terms of where they come from, what they are leaving behind, where they are going, and the circuitous path they follow to get there.

If I were to stat myself out?
I flee from my militaristic upbringing, choosing instead to follow a pacifistic life as an artist.
I flee from the stagnation of a decadent militaristic empire in decline.
I seek a place where I can live comfortably creating works of art.
I hope to get there by travelling to foreign lands where I shall live and work for money and inspiration. This is a dangerous path I follow; the land I'm going to, while peaceful, is threatened by a tyrant to the north.
Getting there will be difficult; the lords of my land block my escape route with suffocating bureaucracy and corrupt and sadistic guards*.

*(I need to get a criminal background check to get my visa. The government hasn't been very helpful in that department. I hope I can get it before January 1st.
I hope I get it though. I'll be happy to leave this country and its nutjobs behind. I'm anxious about the plane trip though. It's not the flying I'm scared of; it's the thought of being groped and molested by the TSA that worries me.)

Anyway, this is all very personal, but I think it might make a good starting off point for the game.

The players define where their characters come from and where they are going. They all meet in some kind of place of transition, such as a port city. They all travel different paths, but they are brought together by common obstacles and detours.
The system may be similar to D&D, except that it will place more emphasis on travel and movement than on combat.

Questions:

Do you often look to your own personal life for inspiration when designing games? How does that work out?

The concept of leaving behind one's home to find adventure in strange places, possibly to return home later, is a common theme in the ur-mythos. Can you recommend any specific sources of literary inspiration that follow this theme?

What are some important considerations for a game that focuses on travel?

Hi Kevin,

I highly recommend you check out Ribbon Drive, which is a game about going on a road trip, which probably would be the #1 game to look at for the idea of journeys, internal and external.

As far as inspiration, are you playing or running games at this time?  That seems to be the biggest drive for people- seeing what's good in roleplaying and/or what they're not getting enough of, seems to be the biggest inspiration for a lot of folks.

Chris

Hello Chris,

Yeah, I'm currently playing in a D&D 3.5 game. I've also run a couple of one-shot games of D&D 4E in the last month. I'm trying to get a group together to play Paranoia, Dogs in the Vineyard, or Lamentations of the Flame Princess.

I only play 3.5 to hang out with friends. I don't enjoy the game itself. The rules are too complex and too rigidly enforced, and seem designed to eliminate player agency. I also have some problems with the Forgotten Realms setting and the overall flavor of the game. In fact, I have too many problems with the system to list here. I think that any fantasy-heartbreaker I design is bound to be a reaction against 3.5.

I'll check out Ribbon Drive though. Thanks!